At Beserk, we have a expansive collection of Witchcraft Books and Journals available for you! Ranging from Planners, Notebooks, Diaries and Journals to Informational Books about Spells and Magick, Plants and much more! These books will be sure to cast a spell on you! ~
Witchcraft Origins -
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. The practitioner is typically a witch. In Medieval and Early Modern Europe, where the term originated, accused Witches were usually women who were believed to have attacked their own community, and often to have communed and associated with evil and supernatural beings! It was thought Witchcraft could be stopped by protective magic or counter-magic, provided by cunning folk or folk healers!
Suspected witches were also intimidated, banished, attacked or even killed. Often they would be formally prosecuted and punished, if found guilty or simply believed to be guilty! European Witch-hunts and Witch trials in the Early Modern period led to tens of thousands of executions! However, European belief in Witchcraft gradually dwindled during and after the Age of Enlightenment (17th and 18th Century).
Contemporary Cultures that believe in magic and the supernatural often believe in Witchcraft. Anthropologists have applied the term "Witchcraft" to similar beliefs and occult practices described by many non-European cultures, and cultures that have adopted the English language will often call these practices "Witchcraft", as well.As with the cunning-folk in Europe, Indigenous communities that believe in the existence of witchcraft define witches as the opposite of their healers and Medicine people, who are sought out for protection against Witches and Witchcraft.
In contemporary Western Culture, most notably since the growth of Wicca from the 1950s, some Modern Pagans and New agers self-identify as Witches, and use the term Witchcraft for their self-help, healing and divination rituals.
